


Saints & Soldiers: Flashbacks

by Nukeli



Series: Saints & Soldiers [2]
Category: Captain America (Comics), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Agnes is OC, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Dark Steve Rogers, Disturbing Themes, Erik Lehnsherr as Max Eisenhardt, Evil Steve Rogers, Explained in chapter 2, Johann Schmidt as Johann Eisenhardt, Mirror Universe, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-05-20 17:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nukeli/pseuds/Nukeli
Summary: What if Avengers were the villains and their enemies were the heroes?(Collection of semi-connected oneshots of the backstories of my AU's characters)





	1. Steve - The Star-Spangled Man With A Plan

He was born in America.

You might argue that it is not special. Millions of other people are born in America too. Everybody has to be born somewhere, right?

No, Steven Grant Rogers  _is_ special.  **The** super-soldier, saviour of America. Before that he was a nobody. A small, sickly, starving nobody that lived through The Great Depression because of his wits. Because he would and could do  _anything_ he had to. To live, to keep his mother alive, to put food on the table when his mother couldn't. She didn't know _how_.

He played The Good Cop to his Bucky's bad cop. Pretend to be sweet, go with a smile. His favourite tactic. It was  _easy_ , playing with people's hearts and minds. To make them feel sorry for the little guy. He outwitted (read: scammed, cheated, betrayed, backstabbed) people, Bucky used knife and fists. Steven was the brains, smarter than the smarties, Bucky was the brawn, tougher than the toughies. They made a good team. Bucky loved him, and that was exactly what Steve wanted. He loved him too, a bit. And love is the most dangerous weapon. When somebody loves you, eats from your hand, they will do _anything_ for you. Like his Bucky.

                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Things started to go downhill when Bucky was drafted and shipped off. Steve's mother, a nurse, died of tuberculosis, her last request for Steve was that he "stays" a good man, despite the circumstances. Of course he will. He had  _always_ been a good man.

Nothing tied him to his home anymore, so he tried to enlist too, five times, with fake identities. But no. 4F. How dared they?

The fift time he met a man, _a german_ , who introduced himself as Abraham Erskine. Steve didn't know the name of the game, what the man wanted from him.           "Do you want to kill nazis?" Erskine asked.

No, Steve didn't. He  _agreed_ with them on some things. But he, of course, wouldn't say that. He wanted to sound  _sympathetic_.

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies, no matter where they come from." Erskine believed him. Poor old fool.

You might wonder why did Steve want to enlist, then. He didn't care about the people who were killed. Why would he care about people he hadn't even seen? He cared about America. Their situation was similiar to that of Germany after the previous war. Nazis took the power, and things got _fixed_. He wanted to _fix the world_ , too.

                                     ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He was chosen for _Project Rebirth_. Along at least twenty other men, who fared far better then him. But his strongest bet was to look better than everybody else, to be sympatethic. To seem better fit for power and responsibility than the vulgar, weak, pretentious crowd. They were in it for themselves. Nobody ever  _really_ cares about anything beside themselves. Everybody has a motive. Exept him. His motive was America.

                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons, but they are won by men. They are going to win this war because they have the best men. And because they are going to get better. Much better. An Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Their goal is to create the best army in history. But every army starts with one man. At the end of this week, they will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldiers. And it _will_ be Steve, no matter what.

                                      ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Besides the soldiers and Erskine, there was pretty english woman, a liaison, Peggy Carter, whom he was trying to impress, and a young german, a pale man with red hair and freckles. With the strangest eyes Steve had ever seen. The irises were red, and the whites yellow. He was some kind of special agent. Of course not a spy, not with eyes like that. His accent was thick, indicating that he had started speaking english only a while ago. Probably a refugee. He and his ten year old brother. Other one was probably adopted, for they didn't look simimiar at all. Not that Steve cared. He pretented to, to make himself look better, but the man, Johann, seemed to take a dislike to him the moment they met.

                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The feeling became mutual when Erskine eventually presented Steve as a potential candidate to Phillips, but Steve's frail physique led Phillips to view him as unsuitable, at one point suggesting some guy called Gilmore Hodge, a physically superior soldier but also a shelfish attention whore. To prove his own theory correct, Phillips threw a fake grenade at the soldiers. Steve should've noticed another opportunity to look better, but didn't realize it was a fake. Johann, who had been standing nearby, made him look bad by throwing himself on what he thought was a live grenade and attempting to shield the blast that never came while the other soldiers ran for cover. Phillips disliked that because

A) he had just been proven wrong

B) a german (he really hated germans) was a better man than a bunch of the best soldiers of America.

Steve was still able to make Erskine pick him instead of somebody else. That was easy, manipulating. He's had a lifetime of practice. The superior man will not be born, Professor Erskine. He will not be a member of any "master race". He will be a race unto himself. And you are going to make him. You are going to make Steve one, help him fix the world.

                                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The night before the test, Erskine came to the private quarters to offer Steve a drink from Augsburg, but did not give it to him because the experiment was tomorrow so Steve could not have any liquids. Erskine explained while someone like Hodges who had known power all his life might lose respect for that power, a weak man like Steve would know the value of strength. He also told about what nazis had forced him to do. Seven prisoners out of eight died terrible deaths because his serum didn't work properly. And the eighth had been Johann. That version had kind of worked, he was alive, he was stronger, he was better. But there had been some _very nasty_ side effects. Steve obviously asked about it, and it sounded pretty scary. But it didn't make Steve back down. He would fix the world.

                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It hurt like hell, but went better than he thought it would. Everybody watched (exept Johann who said he wasn't there because he didn't want to see), while Steve became a perfect soldier, one who would save America and the whole world. The first of an army. Johann disapproved the plan, by the way. So did Erskine. He thought not many men will be good enough, for the serum enhances what's inside them, too. Good becomes great, he says, and that means bad will become worse. No worries, Steve isn't bad at all. When Steve came out in perfect shape, he saw somebody aiming a gun at Erskine. Steve wouldn't have to kill the scientist himself, which was good because he had started liking him. But Steve was going to be a _saint_. He had to be _unique_. Sacrifices had to be made.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With his dying breath, Erskine had asked Steve to stay what he was: not a perfect soldier, but a good man. He would be both. He had always been a righteous man, and justly proud of his virtue.

                                        ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He had to go with Johann, to chase the shooter. The lab rat wouldn't make him look bad again. They chased down the car and Johann jumped to river to save the boy shooter had used as hostage. Steve took the lid of a trash can and ran after shooter. When he caught him, the man was dying from cyanide poisoning. Better for him. The man said: "Heil Hitler! Heil S.C.H.I.L.D! Heil the German Reich!"

'S.C.H.I.L.D'? Interesting, he hadn't heard that before. He took a closer look at the man. In his pocket was a paper, written in german, with an eagle watermark. Not an usual nazi Eagle, a different one.

                                         ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Johann was a special agent. Steve became a fuckin'  _performer_! He was _perfect_ , but they didn't let him to the battlefield. He went without permission and was _punished_ , even through he had done what he had meant for, and saved almost a battalion of men, including  _his_ Bucky. A group of them, The Howling Commandos, would eat from his hand, just like Bucky.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

America was being corrupted. Joining the Allies was a symptom of that. Allies were going to lose, but Steve wouldn't let America fall with them. He and The Commandos ran away and started guerilla strikes against both The Allies and SCHILD. They said he betrayed his country.

No, this was for America.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Stark had always been there for him after they met at camp Leigh. He and Bucky were Steve's only friends. Bucky fought for him and Stark gave them food, weapons, information. When Johann and Carter caught him in the act, he was executed for treason.

The commandos stole his body and gave it as proper burial as they could.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Somebody got the bright idea of giving Johann the first prototype of Steve's shield. He didn't want it and couldn't use it good enough. He wasn't pretty and he was german. He wouldn't be a poster boy. He wouldn't be trusted, and he wouldn't become a threat.

And even if he did, Steve would have a solution. Unbeknowst to The Commandos, he had made deals with nazi leaders, barons Zemo and Strucker in particular. He would do whatever it takes to save America. _Whatever_.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He had to betray most of The Commandos, the ones who were disgusted and shocked because of his deeds, those who didn't understand. Bucky included, which saddened him. But it hadn't been his fault. He had been a _good man_.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Bucky hanged from a train, he stared at Steve's new, black uniform, eyes wide in shock. Steve crawled to the edge and offered him his hand, telling him why he did what he did, and asking him to come with him, to help him make the world a better place.

Bucky looked at him, eyes in shroud, and opened the hand that kept him from falling to the canyon below.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Steve's presence was celebrated in Berlin. Obviously. He was _perfect_. He could get anything he asked for. When S.C.H.I.L.D stumbled upon half-dead Bucky by a change, he asked them to make him to love him again, for he still did but didn't understand it himself. Steve knew better than him. Steve always knows better.

They failed him, and paid the price.

They messed Bucky's head up, badly. He acted almost like a robot now. Bucky he knew was gone.

It had been Johann's fault, he had made Steve look bad. It was because of him Steve had went down this path. He would pay dearly.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He had been wrong about Johann. He _became_ a threat, he and buch of soldiers, including two Canadians called Lucky Logan and Crazy Creed, who called Johann "Scarlet Knight", because, apparently, why the hell not.

Another thorn in his side was the German resistance, named "Hydra", for they thought their rebellion would never die.

                                            ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He and Johann confronted countless times. They were evenly matched, officially. But Steve knew he was better. He had been _born better_.

                                          ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Steve's prediction turned out to be incorrect. The Allies were winning the war. If they did, Steve was going to be executed for treason, and that couldn't and wouldn't happen, ever.

He heard about an artifact known as "Tesseract" and "The cosmic cube". It would secure their victory.

                                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Steve would never forget Normandy and The battle of Berlin, neither would Johann. Johann was the hero of both days, _the hero Steve could've been._ Johann stole it from him.

                                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Steve escaped from the Battle of Berlin with the Tesseract, having to leave Bucky behind for the soviets. Scarlet, Creed, and others followed him, only Scarlet managing to get onboard. They fought for The Cube, Steve took it in his hand, and it burned him with blue fire. "You will burn", the old Norwegian man had said.

Steve took one last look at Johann, eyes burning with pure, untamed hate. His fault again, _always_ his fault. But he'll pay dearly, for this would not be the end, they would meet again.

_In another time._

_In another life._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get a kick out of writing Psycho/Evil!Steve


	2. Johann -  Agent Of Thousand Faces

Johann Eisenhardt was born in Germany in the end of 1800's. He didn't really know where, not even his original family name, only that his mother died in childbirth and his father tried to drown him for that, he was saved by the doctor, his father hanged himself, and he was adopted.  
That was a worst possible way to start life, but it got better after adoption. He obviously doesn't remember the first years, but despite their poorness, his _Mishpokhe's_ life was pretty good until The Great War (gunshots). His _Tate_ fought in Somme and was never the same, he had nightmares and said that he couldn't close his eyes without hearing screams and gunfire and seeing blood in his hands.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Germany lost the war. _Deutsche Mark's_ value sinked so low it was cheaper to light the fire with bills than to buy wood, there was shortages of food and riots.  
_Deutschland_ was declared a republic at the beginning of the German Revolution in November 1918. Communists seized power in Bavaria, but conservative elements in other parts of Germany attempted to overthrow the Republic in the Kapp Putsch (gunshots).

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
His little brother was born in 1931. Year after that Nazi Party won the special federal election. After the _Reichstag_ fire, a decree abrogated basic civil rights and within weeks the first Nazi concentration camp at Dachau opened. The Enabling Act of 1933 gave Hitler unrestricted legislative power, his government established a totalitarian state and began military rearmaments.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
After the Night of the Long Knives (gunshots), the _Schutzstaffel_ became the dominant policing power in Germany. In 1937 and 1938, new laws were implemented, and the segregation of Jews from the true "Aryan" German population was started.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
_Kristallnacht_  saw the burning of hundreds of synagogues, the destruction of thousands of Jewish businesses, and the arrest of around 30,000 Jewish men by Nazi forces, and a curfew was placed on the Jewish people in Germany. Johann got a big scar over his eye trying to protect his _mame_ and _bruder_. Gunshots.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Their family boarded a ship to America, but they were Turned Away at Ellis Island, the American bastards knew what would happen, they sent them all back to Europe to die.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
The Nazi in purple hood, Zemo, looked at Johann and Max and told the soldiers to shoot.

A gunshot.

When their _eltern_ fell to the ground, dead, something happened to Max. His eyes flashed with white light, everything made of metal cracked and the soldier in front of them exploded into bloody mess. Max was taken to be used as a guinea pig, and Johann and their baby sister Agnes too, in case Max wouldn't cooperate.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zemo told Max to move a coin. He couldn't. Zemo pointed his luger at Agnes. Max still couldn't.

A gunshot.

The world froze around Johann.

"AGNES!"

Everything exploded and cracked again.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Max's powers were stimulated with electric shocks. Johann couldn't do anything but watch.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of Zemo's prisoners, jewish scientist named Erskine, was forced to develop a super soldier serum. This far there had been seven test subjects, and all of them had died horribly. When Zemo told Erskine to take Max next, Johann volunteered to save his  _bruder_.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He was strapped to some kind of table, and Erskine filled a syringe with blue liquid.

"I am sorry"' he said, and Johann felt a sting on his wrist.

His memories of what happened next are a bit foggy (Thank Yahweh), only things he can remember are the hellish pain and Erskine's reaction. He survived and, instead of being killed as a failure, was thrown back to the cage because Zemo wanted to see if there was any other side effects. Everybody who had strenght to move turned to look at him, and that scared Johann a bit, because he obviously didn't know what happened, he couldn't see himself.

"Hans...." Max whispered. Electricity wasn't on so he strecthed his arm to take Johann' _s_ hand.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Zemo did... something to the Canadian soldier, the Canadian ripped the straps off, and the hell broke loose. Gunshots. The Canadian, who later introduced himself as Victor Creed, ripped the lab apart with some kind of metal claws and sliced open the cage Johann and about 24 others were. Johann punched Zemo as hard as he could (which was harder than he expected), causing him to crash into a container which shattered and leaked something all over his head.

Johann ran to Max and tore the straps off, told him to run with Creed and others.

He had to find Erskine.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Creed, Max, Johann, and Erskine hid and looked for The german resistance, HYDRA, which Creed had heard about. Johann distrusted their leader, Wilhelm, a bit. Wilhelm was blonde and blue-eyed and had no personal reasons to risk his life. It was the right thing to do, of course, but people usually had more motives. Johann and Erskined didn't mention a word about Max and Creed, just in case.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They got from Bavaria, Germany, to Antwerpen, Belgium, in few weeks. They had to swim about a quarter of the way from De Panne to Margate, England, and nearly drowned. But they made it. They were safe now. As long as nobody knew about Max and Creed. Or the serum. Johann joined the British army, mostly for money to feed Max, and for justice and revenge, which didn't have much difference at this point. He became a special agent, one-man army for spy, stealth, and sabotage missions. Sometimes he looks at his wrist. 214782. He'll save the others. He  _has_ to save everybody. Peace will come some day, for jew and  _goyim_ alike.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Erskine told The Allied leaders about the serum because he wanted it to do good. Johann tried to make him understand that wasn't a good idea. What happens after the war? What if they make an army? Who gets to decide what's good? Not Erskine, that was for sure. 

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~                                             

Erskine, Johann, and Peggy Carter were sent to camp Leigh in America, where Erskine would choose a soldier to be first of an army to save the world (Well, Johann wasn't really "sent", he just refused not to go with them). Erskine explained to Phillips that not any man would do, for the serum enhances what's inside them, too. Good becomes great, he says, and that means bad will become worse. 

'Good becomes great' Erskine said. Was he referring to Johann? He didn't really think he was very good. He had the feeling that everything was his fault somehow.. He couldn't save the others, he couldn't save his parents and uncle, he couldn't save Agnes, he couldn't save Max..... Damn, he couldn't even save  _himself_...

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There was about 25 volunteers, and one stood out in a bad way. Erskine's pick, Steve Rogers, a scrawny kid with asthma and God knows what else. He seemed to play some kind of role. He seemed optimistic, brave, _et cera_ , but Johann had the feeling it wasn't the real him. Carter disliked him too, because he immediately started to drool after her.

Steve's frail physique led Phillips to view him as unsuitable, at one point suggesting somebody else, who Johann liked even less. To prove his own theory correct, Phillips threw a fake grenade at the soldiers. Johann, who had been standing nearby, threw himself on what he thought was a live grenade and attemped to shield the blast that never came while the other soldiers, including Steve, ran for cover. Phillips was angry because he had just been proven wrong and because Johann happened to be german, and Phillips happened to be a racist.

Steve was still able to make Erskine pick him instead of somebody else. The night before Erskine told Rogers about the serum, deaths, and side effects. Roger seemed a bit unsure, but refused to back down.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

During the test, Johann was in another room with Carter who was looking for something, because he had a bad feeling about the whole thing and didn't want to watch.

A gunshot shattered the silence.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I had him!"

"Sorry..", Johann ran after the car and Rogers, who clearly didn't give a fuck about anyone and just wanted to be a hero. Gunshots. Johann forced himself to keep going and outran the shooter's car and jumped on it's roof, desperately looking for a way to either stop the car or to get in, while Rogers took another route, intending to make a surprise attack. Johann had nothing to cling onto.

A gunshot. Johann fliched and almost let go.

He fell off in a bend and crashed through a shop window, the shooter dissappeared.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A gunshot. Johann ran as fast he could and arrived in time to find the carwreck, Rogers, and the shooter, who had taken a young boy hostage and shot at them (gunshots), Rogers using the car door as a shield. When the shooter fled, Johann and Rogers followed him from a distance. A gunshot. When they had him cornered, he pointed a gun at the boy's head.

"Wait! Don't! Don't!", Johann pleaded, coming out of their shelter despite Rogers' objections. The shooter first pointed the gun at Johann and then decided to throw the boy to the river and ran off, with Rogers racing after him. Johann first looked at them and then the boy, and jumped down. Rogers can deal with the man alone.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gunshots. When Johann reached Rogers, the shooter had died and Rogers was rummaging his pockets, holding the last, shattered vial of Erskine's serum.

"S.C.H.I.L.D" He said, without turning to look at the other man.

Johann knew that name.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Steve became a performer, a propaganda character, they didn't let him to the battlefield. He went without permission and was punished, even through he had done what he had been meant for, and saved almost a battalion of men.

Rogers said him America was being corrupted, and joining the Allies was a symptom of that. Allies were going to lose, but Rogers "wouldn't let America fall with them." Rogers and The Howling Commandos ran away the same night and started guerilla strikes against both The Allies and SCHILD. Stark, who, being a businessman he was, had secretly supported Rogers since the serum, sold him weapons, equipment, and information. He did it for the money, Rogers thought he did it for him and America. Thought they were friends.

He was executed for treason. A gunshot.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Somebody got the bright idea of giving Johann the first prototype of Rogers' shield. He didn't want it and couldn't even use it good enough. And he obviously wanted  _nothing_ to do with America. And, by the way, Rogers broke it the first time he tried. He declined it, and formed a team with Creed, his creepy friend Lucky Logan, and couple of others. Somebody called it "Skeleton Crew".

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rogers later betrayed most of The Commandos, the ones who were disgusted and shocked because of his deeds, and defected to Nazi Germany. His presence was celebrated in Berlin. When S.C.H.I.L.D stumbled upon his half-dead former friend, he wanted to brainwash him, but ended up messing Barnes' head up, badly. Rogers though everything that had happened after their first meeting was Johann's fault, which it sure as hell hadn't been. Rogers had allied himself with barons Strucker and Zemo, whose hood Johann had apparently glued to his face by throwing him at the container, and who wanted to gut him like a fish.

Johann wouldn't give him that pleasure.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They needed code names to be used in radio communication, so Victor Creed became "Crazy Creed", Logan "Lucky Logan",  _et cera_. Johann needed one too, but couldn't think of anything. Somebody suggested "Red Skull". _Nein_ , sure as hell not that!

Why? He didn't really know. But he did **not** want to be "Red Skull".

"Dell Rusk?" Logan suggested.

"Fuck off."

Creed though "Scarlet Knight" would sound good.

... To be honest, it sounded rather corny, but okay. Anything but "Red Skull".

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Johann and Rogers confronted countless times. Normandy. Pegasus bridge. Caen. Hamburg. Norway. Denmark. Africa.  _Gunshots_. Johann was declared the hero of Normandy, but he didn't really see what special he had done there. His main mission was to ensure that nazis couldn't replicate the serum. He had been told to give everything he found to general Bryce, but he didn't. He disposed of it all in one way on another. When they found apparently functional, yellow variation, Johann and Creed agreed to give it to Wilhelm. He would need it when the battle for Berlin started.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rogers' prediction turned out to be incorrect, The Allies were winning the war. If they did, Rogers was going to be executed for treason. Johann looked forward to that. Even thought there will be a gunshot.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He still sees nightmares of the battle of Berlin. Gunshots.The city was leveled to the ground, by midday nothing was standing. The Skeleton Crew and Carter were sent to the bunker called "wolf's den" to kill Hitler and Rogers. The mission was a half-success, Rogers ran for it with a glowing blue cube he called The Tesseract. They tried to catch him, but everybody else was knocked down, and the Schutzstaffel stormed in.

A gunshot. Gunshot. Gunshot.

Carter told Johann to keep going, so he did.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gunshots. They fought bloodily in the plane, knocking Tesseract to the floor. Rogers grapped it, and it burned him with bluish fire. Rogers shouted at him in fury, with words he didn't understand. When Rogers dissappeared, the cube melted a hole to the floor and dropped into water below. The plane's controls were broken and the whole thing seemed like was going down so he took Rogers' shield, prayed to live to see Max and his crew again, and jumped out without a parachute or anything.

It still hurt, but the shield saved his life. He looked around, trying to determine where he was. A hole in the ground, probably a half-collapsed bunker. His mask was in shreds already so he took it off, and tried to breathe. He was still a bit dizzy from rolling around and hitting his head on everything. He had to find the cube. He heard a Luger cocking. A gunshot. The bullet barely missed his head.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

" _Sehnsucht. Rostig. Siebehn. Tagesanbruch. Ofen. Neun. Gutartig. Heimkehr. Eins. Gütervagen._ " Zemo's words seemed to wake Barnes from walking sleep.

" _Umbringen ihm_." Barnes pulled his knife and jumped at Johann. They rolled deeper into the cave, to hidden laboratory, he tried to hit Barnes with the shield, but he knocked it from his hand, and it hit the ceiling, shaking the entire cave. Barnes smashed Johann to the vials, Johann broke Barnes' arm and got him into stranglehold. Barnes activated grenade, intenting to kill them both. Johann kicked it farther and threw the American off, trying to shield himself again.

The explosion made roof collapse on them, last things he heard were Zemo's shout " _Soldat_!", a gunshot, and a hissing sound that had to be some kind of gas....

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Johann woke up. He just woke up. To music and a fan in the ceiling. No gunshots. He instantly opened his eyes, looking the room around him. His fedora was on the table next to him, room was dimly lit, and the window viewed a city. The music, which was beautiful, he must say, ended and a commentary of some kind of a game began. He rose up to sitting position, and listened. The names, the events, it sounded familiar. But something felt off. Johann was already forming theories in his mind when the door opened, and a woman looking like Carter steps in.

" _Guten tagen_ , Johann." Johann vaguely realized he didn't have his mask on, but it didn't seem to bother the woman. She glanced at her clock, "Or should i say 'afternoon'?"

"Where am i?"

Johann gets the feeling that whatever is wrong here is wildly past his ability to imagine.

"You're in a recovery room in London. You were in coma for three months."

What is going on? Why the charade? The breeze from the window—the warmth that doesn't come from the radiator—Carter—the game—baseball, it's baseball, Johann notes almost absently, recognizing a riff here and there—and then the jigsaw pieces snap together.

"Where am I really?" Johann demands, subtly cataloging his distance from the door and whether the window would be a better escape option.

"I'm afraid I don't understand—"

"The game, i know that game, it came from the radio, _one month before_  the battle of Berlin. It's American game. This is not London, or England, or a recovery room. Now I'm going to ask you again,  _Fraulein_ ," Johann sneered the last word, partly to show he's not hoodwinked so easy and partly because, well, he had an intimidation factor on his side. "Where. Am. I." 'Carter' pressed the button of device hidden his hand. Johann doesn't give a fuck.

"Captain Eisenhardt..."

"Who are you?!"

Men In Black storm the room, aiming guns at him. A gunshot.

"No, don't!" 'Carter' yells. Johann threw one throught the wall, which turned out to be a facade. He looked around briefly and ran.

"Captain Eisenhardt! wait!" 'Carter' shouted after him. Johann didn't give a flying fuck.

                                  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Johann stumbled through the nightly but very crowded and well-lit streets, Men In Black chasing him. He, being unarmed, ran for his life, downstream in the river of evening traffic.

He didn’t know what was going on, who were those people, where he was, or what had been the meaning of the show, but it  _sure as hell_ hadn’t been a recovery room, and this  _wasn’t London_  for that matter. Where was he  _really_? Looking over his shoulder to see his pursuers, Johann almost tripped on something.  
He bended over to catch his breath, first looking at the civilians (?) on streets, many of them flashing lights from flat discs in their hands (What are they?), Then looked around, and it hit him like a truck.

He's in Berlin. That is... He knows that monument. This is Berlin.

... Was this a dream? Was he in coma? Was he  _dead_?

_verdammte.._

The Men In Black surrounded Johann and he let an old man in strange red and purple costume approach him, at a loss of what else to do. The old man’s helmet, which reminded Johann of Spartan soldiers, covered most of his face, but there was something familiar about him. Out of the corner of his eye, Johann saw civilians flashing more lights and The Men In Black collecting the discs from them.

“What’s the meaning of this? Where am i? Who are you?!”  
The old man looked at Johann with pity in his brown eyes, and gestured The Men to keep a distance.  
“Sorry about the show, it was their idea, which I heard about just moments ago.” The man said in yiddish, stepping closer, “They intended to break it to you slowly.”  
Johann blinked. “Break what?” his gut was screaming him that something was very wrong.  
“You have been asleep,  _Hans_ ” man told him, “for over seventy years.”

  
Silence.

 

Johann started to feel a little faint of heart because that was about the only explanation for everything suddendly changing.... Strange people, strange cars, strange buildings....No, no, that was impossible, there had to be some other exp--  
Wait, the old man’s voice...

“…Max?” was the old man really his little brother? Yes, he was. Now that he had removed his helmet, Johann was sure. “Max?” Johann asked again, his brains having a momentary short circuit.  
“Everything is okay, Johann” Max assured,  putting the helmet down on a car’s bonnet with his powers. It had to be Max, nobody else could do that. “you’re among friends, this is Berlin, the war is over. We won.”

“…….” Johann tried to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat. He looked around again, hypnotized by what must be either massive projector screens or impossibly light television sets mounted onto some of the skyscrapers all around him, and they  _surely_  scrape the sky. The idea of a new millenium was something his brain couldn’t comprehend, so it explains it in a way that makes more sense: almost everybody he knew was dead. Dugan, Creed and Logan (?), Willy, Carter.... Hell, not only the people he knows, but everybody: Churchill, Roosevelt, Sinatra, Neitsche, Einstein…  _Seventy years_.

Max put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Are you going to be okay?”

“…. _I-ikh trakhtn azoy_.” Johann thinks so, “I just… had a thing to do..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ends where the main story ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/14478726 ) begins. And yes, i gave Johann an Indiana Jones hat, why not :) ?  
> The buildings are referred to as "scyscrapers" because they're the highest ones Johann has ever seen.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> • Mispokhe = Family (Yiddish)  
> • Tate = Dad (Yiddish)  
> • Deutsche mark = German mark (German)  
> • Deutschland = Germany (German)  
> • Reichstag = Parliament (German)  
> • Schutzstaffel = SS  
> • Kristallnacht = The Night Of Broken Glass (German)  
> • Mame = Mom (Yiddish)  
> • Bruder = Brother (Yiddish)  
> • Eltern = Parents (Yiddish)  
> • Yahweh = God (Yiddish)  
> • Schild = Shield (German)  
> • Sehnsucht. Rostig. Siebehn. Tagesanbruch. Ofen. Neun. Gutartig. Heimkehr. Eins. Gütervagen = Bucky's trigger  
> phrase in German  
> • Umbringen ihm = kill him (German)  
> • Guten Tagen = Good Morning (German)  
> • Goyim = Non-jewish Person (Yiddish)  
> • Verdammte = Damn / Damned (German)  
> • Ikh Trakhn Azoy = I Think So (Yiddish)


End file.
